SOFTBALL: Greencastle-Antrim earns key win over James Buchanan

GREENCASTLE — It had that inevitable feeling. The only problem was determining which team was finally going to break through.

Wednesday's varsity softball game between Greencastle-Antrim and James Buchanan showcased two squads clearly polished in all phases, resulting in a scoreless tie through the first four innings.

Then, the inevitable happened.

Much as they have throughout the last two weeks, the Blue Devil bats came to life, stringing together timely base hits to score five runs in the bottom of the fifth en route to a crucial 5-1, Mid-Penn Colonial Division victory.

With the win, G-A essentially moved into a three-way tie atop the league standings, as the Blue Devils (7-2, 4-1 MPC-Colonial) now join JB (9-2, 5-1 MPC-Colonial) and Shippensburg with just one divisional loss.

"They're a very good team," G-A head coach Mark DeCarli said of the Rockets. "They have an outstanding pitcher and fortunately, the hits came through for us toward the end."

From the onset, the match-up took on the tone of a pitcher's duel between a pair of emerging freshman standouts, with the Blue Devils' Elizabeth Ward going toe-to-toe against JB's Taryn Miller.

Despite the importance of the moment, neither hurler flinched, as both struck out four and walked only one, relying on their respective defenses to maintain the stalemate.

Twice, the Rockets appeared poised to take control early only to be denied by two textbook plays from the Blue Devil outfielders, keeping JB off the board.

Haleigh Regal granted G-A an initial spark by throwing out Shania Fogelsonger at the plate in the first before a stellar relay from Whitley Mongan erased what would have been a leadoff triple for JB in the second, shifting the momentum in favor of the hosts.

Still, Miller managed to keep the Blue Devils at bay, stranding two runners in the opening frame while retiring G-A in order in both the second and fourth, maintaining the scoreless tie until the bottom of the fifth.

Looking to rekindle their recent success at the plate, a double by Elizabeth Ward jump-started the sputtering G-A offense, with three consecutive singles from Regal, Mary Ward and Casey German pushing across the first two runs of the game.

A walk followed by a Rockets' error extended the lead to three before Ashlynn Schaeffer sent a two-run double to the gap in right-center, resulting in a 5-0 Blue Devil margin.

Neither side managed to score in the sixth, setting up a do-or-die scenario for JB in the top of the seventh.

Shae Foreman did her part in the attempted rally, lacing a leadoff triple to the fence in right before scoring on an RBI groundout by Jennae Piper, cutting the deficit to four.

Unfazed, Ward casually closed the deal, responding with her fourth strikeout to seal the victory.

Page 2 of 2 - "Our defense has been playing stellar and Elizabeth is doing what we need her to do," DeCarli said. "Stuff that we have been working on every day in practice, the girls are bringing over to the games. I couldn't be more proud of them."

German led the Blue Devils at the plate, finishing 3-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base. Mary Ward added two hits, including a beautiful bunt single in the sixth, while Mongan accounted for G-A's remaining base knock in the first.

Foreman paced the Rockets, connecting on a double and a triple followed by a pair of singles from Fogelsonger. Hannah Bingaman and Chelsea Keefer also contributed a hit in the loss.

Due to Wednesday's game being a rescheduled make-up from earlier in the season, the Blue Devils now face a short turnaround as they travel to Waynesboro today for another pivotal Colonial showdown set to begin at 4:15 p.m.

Of note, Kim Muller was recognized prior to Wednesday's game for her inspirational story as a cancer survivor. Muller, a wellness teacher at the G-A Middle School, threw out a ceremonial first pitch and the Blue Devils wore pink jerseys to support the fight against breast cancer.